ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 15, 2024--
Comcast today announced it will award grant packages to 100 small businesses in and around Metro Atlanta as part of its Comcast RISE program. Comcast RISE’s goal is to support the growth of small businesses in locations across metro Atlanta and surrounding areas while advancing digital literacy and equity. The grants will include resources and programs designed to help bring digital equity closer to reality in Atlanta, including business coaching sessions, education resources, a $5,000 monetary grant, creative production, media schedules, and technology makeovers.
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Digital equity is achieved when people have access to affordable internet, a computer and the digital skills and resources they need to succeed in school, work and business, regardless of which part of Atlanta they live in or how much money they make.
“Deep, long-term investments are needed in our communities to make digital equity a reality in Atlanta,” said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. “Programs like Comcast RISE can help close the digital divide and help entrepreneurs grow their businesses, in turn, helping to further grow Atlanta’s economy.”
Atlanta-based small businesses can apply to receive packages through Comcast RISE that include:
In addition, any small business owner can visit the Comcast RISE destination on X1 featuring aggregated small business news, tips, insights, and more. Just say “Comcast RISE” into the voice remote.
Comcast RISE is part of Project UP, the company’s $1 billion commitment to advance digital equity through programs and community partnerships that connect people to the Internet, advance economic mobility and open doors for the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, storytellers and creators.
More information and the application to apply for the grant program are available at www.ComcastRISE.com. The application period will be open May 1 – May 31.
“At Comcast, we want people to have unlimited possibilities. Project UP’s goal is to provide services and support programs designed to close the digital divide, teach digital skills and promote entrepreneurship,” said Melinda Little, Vice President of Government Affairs and Community Investment. “The initiatives and support we’re announcing today build on our more-than-decade-long local efforts to close the digital divide and will advance digital equity in Atlanta.”
History of support and partnership in Atlanta
Comcast has been leading, supporting and partnering with local non-profits, government agencies and other partners on digital equity initiatives in Atlanta for over a decade. In the last three years alone, Comcast has made more than $48.5 million in donations to Atlanta-based organizations and initiatives focused on digital equity. In addition, since 2011, Comcast has connected more than one million low-income Georgians to the Internet at home through its Internet Essentials program, which provides low-cost broadband Internet service to eligible low-income families. Comcast has also opened 12 Lift Zones in Atlanta. Lift Zones are safe spaces in community-based organizations that provide free Internet access. Students can come to Lift Zones to do schoolwork. Adults can come to build digital skills, access healthcare and other services and search for jobs.
About Comcast Corporation
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company. From the connectivity and platforms we provide, to the content and experiences we create, our businesses reach hundreds of millions of customers, viewers, and guests worldwide. We deliver world-class broadband, wireless, and video through Xfinity, Comcast Business, and Sky; produce, distribute, and stream leading entertainment, sports, and news through brands including NBC, Telemundo, Universal, Peacock, and Sky; and bring incredible theme parks and attractions to life through Universal Destinations & Experiences. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.
About Comcast Business
Comcast Business offers a broad suite of technology solutions to keep businesses of all sizes ready for what’s next. With a range of offerings including connectivity, secure networking, advanced cybersecurity, and unified communications solutions, Comcast Business is partnering with business and technology leaders across industries and integrating Masergy, a leader in software defined networking, to help drive businesses forward. Backed by a next-generation network, Comcast Business has been recognized for its growth, innovation, and leadership in global secure networking. For more information, visit www.business.comcast.com or call 800-501-6000. Follow on Twitter @ComcastBusiness and on other social media networks at http://business.comcast.com/social.
About Effectv
Effectv, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, helps local, regional and national advertisers use the best of digital with the power of TV to grow their business. It provides multiscreen marketing solutions to make advertising campaigns more effective and easier to execute. Headquartered in New York with offices throughout the country, Effectv has a presence in 66 markets with nearly 30 million owned and represented subscribers. For more information, visit effectv.com.
Pinky Cole, Founder & CEO, Slutty Vegan ATL, Bar Vegan and The Pinky Cole Foundation; Jay Bailey, President & CEO, Russell Innovation Center (RICE); Samir Abdullahi, Director of Economic Development, Fulton County and Select Fulton; Mike McArdle, Regional Senior Vice President, Comcast Big South Region (Photo: Business Wire)
MANILA (AP) — Southeast Asia was coping with a weekslong heat wave on Monday as record-high temperatures led to school closings in several countries and urgent health warnings throughout the region.
Millions of students in all public schools across the Philippines were ordered to stay home Monday after authorities canceled in-person classes for two days. The main advice for everyone, everywhere has been to avoid outdoor activities and drink plenty of water, but the young and the elderly were told to be especially careful.
Cambodia this year is facing the highest temperatures in 170 years, Chan Yutha, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, told The Associated Press on Monday. His agency has forecast that temperatures in most parts of the country could reach up to 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit) this week.
Myanmar’s meteorological department said Monday that seven townships in the central Magway, Mandalay, Sagaing and Bago regions experienced record-high temperatures. Several towns in Myanmar last week were on lists of the hottest spots worldwide.
Chauk township in Magway, historically the country's hottest region, saw Myanmar’s highest temperature at 48.2 degrees Celsius (118.8 degrees Fahrenheit), breaking the previous record of 47.4 degrees Celsius (117.3 degrees Fahrenheit) set in 1968.
The Philippines is among the nations worst affected by the sweltering weather in Southeast Asia, where the intense tropical summer heat worsened by humidity forced class cancellations in recent weeks and sparked fears of water shortages, power outages and damage to agricultural crops.
The Department of Education ordered students in more than 47,000 public schools to switch to home-based and online learning due to health risks from record-high temperatures and a three-day strike starting Monday by drivers who oppose a government program they fear would remove dilapidated passenger jeepneys from streets.
Large crowds have sought relief in air-conditioned shopping malls in Metropolitan Manila, the congested capital region of more than 14 million people where the temperature soared to 38.8 degrees Celsius (101.84 Fahrenheit) Saturday, surpassing the record set decades ago, according to weather officials.
In Thailand, temperatures have topped 44 C (111 F) in some areas in the northern parts of the country, while the capital Bangkok and metropolitan areas have seen temperatures go above 40 C (104 F). The forecast from the Meteorological Department said this year’s summer, which usually lasts from late February to late May, is expected to be 1-2 degrees hotter than last year, and rainfall will be lower than average.
Thailand’s Department of Disease Control said last week that at least 30 people have died from heatstroke so far this year, compared to 37 for all of last year.
Scientists have said the number of heat-related deaths around the world has been rising significantly in recent years along with temperatures, but the trend in Asia this year so far is unclear, partly because of the question of how to classify deaths that appear to be heat related.
At least 34 people have fallen ill due to the extreme heat in the Philippines so far this year, including six who died. The Department of Health said it was verifying what exactly caused the deaths.
Media in Bangladesh reported that in a five-day period earlier this month, at least 20 people died from heatstroke.
In Cambodia, however, officials indicated there were few if any heat-related fatalities. The Khmer Times, an online news platform, quoted the head of the Health Department of Phnom Penh, the capital, saying there had been no heat-related deaths or collapses.
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Associated Press writers Sopheng Cheang in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and Jintamas Saksornchai in Bangkok contributed to this report.
A vendor fixes his old umbrella as he prepares for another hot day in Manila, Philippines on Monday, April 29, 2024. Millions of students in all public schools across the Philippines were ordered to stay home Monday after authorities cancelled in-person classes for two days as an emergency step due to the scorching heat and a public transport strike. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
A man and woman use a cloth over their heads to protect them from the sun in Manila, Philippines on Monday, April 29, 2024. Millions of students in all public schools across the Philippines were ordered to stay home Monday after authorities cancelled in-person classes for two days as an emergency step due to the scorching heat and a public transport strike. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
A street vendor uses an umbrella to protect her from the sun along a street in Manila, Philippines on Monday, April 29, 2024. Millions of students in all public schools across the Philippines were ordered to stay home Monday after authorities cancelled in-person classes for two days as an emergency step due to the scorching heat and a public transport strike. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Street sweeper Rose Yatar uses sunblock on her face to protect her from the sun in Manila, Philippines on Monday, April 29, 2024. Millions of students in all public schools across the Philippines were ordered to stay home Monday after authorities cancelled in-person classes for two days as an emergency step due to the scorching heat and a public transport strike. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Parking attendant Andy Tinto uses laundry clips to put a blue towel over his cap to protect him from the sun as he assists cars in Manila, Philippines on Monday, April 29, 2024. Millions of students in all public schools across the Philippines were ordered to stay home Monday after authorities cancelled in-person classes for two days as an emergency step due to the scorching heat and a public transport strike. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
A teacher walks along an empty hallway as classes shift to online mode due to the hot weather at the Justo Lukban Elementary School in Manila, Philippines on Monday, April 29, 2024. Millions of students in all public schools across the Philippines were ordered to stay home Monday after authorities cancelled in-person classes for two days as an emergency step due to the scorching heat and a public transport strike. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
A worker reaches out for his water jug as he takes a break during a hot day in Manila, Philippines on Monday, April 29, 2024. Millions of students in all public schools across the Philippines were ordered to stay home Monday after authorities cancelled in-person classes for two days as an emergency step due to the scorching heat and a public transport strike. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
A vendor prepares his umbrella as hot days continue in Manila, Philippines on Monday, April 29, 2024. Millions of students in all public schools across the Philippines were ordered to stay home Monday after authorities cancelled in-person classes for two days as an emergency step due to the scorching heat and a public transport strike. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
A cat rests along an empty hallway as classes shift to online modes due to the hot weather at the Justo Lukban Elementary School in Manila, Philippines on Monday, April 29, 2024. Millions of students in all public schools across the Philippines were ordered to stay home Monday after authorities cancelled in-person classes for two days as an emergency step due to the scorching heat and a public transport strike. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
People walk under a shade during a hot day in Manila, Philippines on Monday, April 29, 2024. Millions of students in all public schools across the Philippines were ordered to stay home Monday after authorities cancelled in-person classes for two days as an emergency step due to the scorching heat and a public transport strike. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
A teacher arranges papers at an empty classroom as classes shifted to online mode at the Justo Lukban Elementary School in Manila, Philippines on Monday, April 29, 2024. Millions of students in all public schools across the Philippines were ordered to stay home Monday after authorities cancelled in-person classes for two days as an emergency step due to the scorching heat and a public transport strike. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
A teacher arranges papers at an empty classroom at the Justo Lukban Elementary School in Manila, Philippines on Monday, April 29, 2024. Millions of students in all public schools across the Philippines were ordered to stay home Monday after authorities cancelled in-person classes for two days as an emergency step due to the scorching heat and a public transport strike. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
FILE - A woman walks through spay water for cooling down from hot temperatures in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 9, 2024. Southeast Asia is coping with a weekslong heat wave as record-high temperatures have led to school closings in several countries and urgent health warnings throughout the region. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)
FILE - Women eat ice cream in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 9, 2024. Southeast Asia is coping with a weekslong heat wave as record-high temperatures have led to school closings in several countries and urgent health warnings throughout the region. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)
